Max: Life At Low G, part 5
Or read the whole thing (so far) here.
People are so paranoid. They used to be satisfied with low-grade security, or spoof that made their connections look almost like traps. I started tagging connections that were locked down but still vulnerable. I would prefer to not have to break through connection security as well as the target's security. The less time you spent on a job, the less likely you were to get caught. After a few hours, though, it was starting to look like we were going to have to used someone's secured connection. The only open connections were traps and we had to get the job done.
I set up every spoof I could on my comp to cover our tracks. If there is a comp out there with a footprint that looked like our spoof, that was their problem. It took 30 seconds to break the security on the connection. Ideally the job should have been done in under 30. It was a minute and a half total before I was in and copying files that matched the params giving to us by the client.
The next thing I knew I was coming to in some strange room. It took me a moment to start getting my bearings. Andy was on the floor, breathing but unconscious. We had been snagged. That meant that we were fucked. All there was to do was find out who snagged us and how they were going to make us pay.
"Ah. You are awake," a disembodied voice came from just above the door. "You process sedatives faster than your boyfriend. Faster than the average. That is a useful skill."
"Where are we? What the fuck is going on?"
"You are also inquisitive. You can't bear to not be in on a secret. That can serve you well, but it can also get you locked up in a room."
I looked around for my comp, pretty much figuring I wouldn't find it.
"Our comp is quite safe..."
"Our comp? If you hurt my comp, I will fucking..."
"Yes, yes. Our comp is quite fine. We admire the personal modifications you put in place on Leibnez. Except for the cams you hit in Cassandra Jackson's quarters. That is in bad taste."
"Stop fucking around and answer me!"
"I am sensing far too much aggression in your voice. You are obviously not in the mood to discuss your situation rationally. You rest and we will speak later."
I yelled at the door for a few minutes before I settled down and started looking around the room. It was empty except for Andy and me. The light was diffuse, full-spectrum LED, giving an illusion of natural lighting. There was one door with no handle, no way to grip it at all. There was no way of knowing if the lock was physical or computer controlled magnetic. If it was physical, we were screwed. Neither of ever bothered to learn how to bypass physical locks. Although we could hardly hack a magnetic lock without my comp.
"What the fuck?" Andy had finally came to.
"It was a trap," I told him.
"A trap?" If you were to go by the tone of his voice, you would think this was the first time he had ever heard the term. "How the fuck was it a trap?"
"They have my comp. We're fucked."
Andy was in my face before I knew it.
"How the fuck did you not see that it was a trap? That's your job! What the fuck have you gotten us into?"
"As I recall," I replied calmly, "you were the one who took the assignment."
"Fuck you."
"Only if you want to do it on camera. I assume they are watching us."
"Yes we are," said the voice from earlier. "I am glad you have finally joined us, Andrew."
Andy was far better at checking his temper when the situation called for it.
"And whom do I have the pleasure of speaking to?" he asked as if he were meeting someone on the street, rather than addressing the person who had just drugged and kidnapped him.
"You may think of me as your supervisor. It is my pleasure to inform you that we now employ you." The voice seemed quite happy to finally be speaking to someone calm.
"Well," Andy replied. "I have to say your recruiting methods are a bit unorthodox." A smile was spreading across his face. I felt it was best to let Andy do all the talking.
"Our organization is a bit unorthodox."
"And can I assume that our release with be at least part of our payment for our services."
"No."
"No?" Andy's smile faded a bit. "How long do you think you can keep us."
"As long as we like," the voice calmly explained. "As far as all relevant records are concerned, you two have taken a long term, off-planet assignment. Further, you are quite completely within our control. You will do as you are told and you will accept what if any reward we offer."
"One question," Andy said. "What if we refuse."
"This."
With that the lights shut off. I don't know how long it was before we heard the voice again. We slept off and on. We were hungry and thirsty, but our bodily functions carried merrily along. I personally never need to smell the smell of my own rotting shit ever again. If I had been alone in the room, I would have probably lost it. But I had Andy. We talked about our situation and tried to come up with some sort of solution. The only conclusion we could reasonably come to was that we were fucked, at least for now and that playing along was the only option, aside from rotting in that room.
People are so paranoid. They used to be satisfied with low-grade security, or spoof that made their connections look almost like traps. I started tagging connections that were locked down but still vulnerable. I would prefer to not have to break through connection security as well as the target's security. The less time you spent on a job, the less likely you were to get caught. After a few hours, though, it was starting to look like we were going to have to used someone's secured connection. The only open connections were traps and we had to get the job done.
I set up every spoof I could on my comp to cover our tracks. If there is a comp out there with a footprint that looked like our spoof, that was their problem. It took 30 seconds to break the security on the connection. Ideally the job should have been done in under 30. It was a minute and a half total before I was in and copying files that matched the params giving to us by the client.
The next thing I knew I was coming to in some strange room. It took me a moment to start getting my bearings. Andy was on the floor, breathing but unconscious. We had been snagged. That meant that we were fucked. All there was to do was find out who snagged us and how they were going to make us pay.
"Ah. You are awake," a disembodied voice came from just above the door. "You process sedatives faster than your boyfriend. Faster than the average. That is a useful skill."
"Where are we? What the fuck is going on?"
"You are also inquisitive. You can't bear to not be in on a secret. That can serve you well, but it can also get you locked up in a room."
I looked around for my comp, pretty much figuring I wouldn't find it.
"Our comp is quite safe..."
"Our comp? If you hurt my comp, I will fucking..."
"Yes, yes. Our comp is quite fine. We admire the personal modifications you put in place on Leibnez. Except for the cams you hit in Cassandra Jackson's quarters. That is in bad taste."
"Stop fucking around and answer me!"
"I am sensing far too much aggression in your voice. You are obviously not in the mood to discuss your situation rationally. You rest and we will speak later."
I yelled at the door for a few minutes before I settled down and started looking around the room. It was empty except for Andy and me. The light was diffuse, full-spectrum LED, giving an illusion of natural lighting. There was one door with no handle, no way to grip it at all. There was no way of knowing if the lock was physical or computer controlled magnetic. If it was physical, we were screwed. Neither of ever bothered to learn how to bypass physical locks. Although we could hardly hack a magnetic lock without my comp.
"What the fuck?" Andy had finally came to.
"It was a trap," I told him.
"A trap?" If you were to go by the tone of his voice, you would think this was the first time he had ever heard the term. "How the fuck was it a trap?"
"They have my comp. We're fucked."
Andy was in my face before I knew it.
"How the fuck did you not see that it was a trap? That's your job! What the fuck have you gotten us into?"
"As I recall," I replied calmly, "you were the one who took the assignment."
"Fuck you."
"Only if you want to do it on camera. I assume they are watching us."
"Yes we are," said the voice from earlier. "I am glad you have finally joined us, Andrew."
Andy was far better at checking his temper when the situation called for it.
"And whom do I have the pleasure of speaking to?" he asked as if he were meeting someone on the street, rather than addressing the person who had just drugged and kidnapped him.
"You may think of me as your supervisor. It is my pleasure to inform you that we now employ you." The voice seemed quite happy to finally be speaking to someone calm.
"Well," Andy replied. "I have to say your recruiting methods are a bit unorthodox." A smile was spreading across his face. I felt it was best to let Andy do all the talking.
"Our organization is a bit unorthodox."
"And can I assume that our release with be at least part of our payment for our services."
"No."
"No?" Andy's smile faded a bit. "How long do you think you can keep us."
"As long as we like," the voice calmly explained. "As far as all relevant records are concerned, you two have taken a long term, off-planet assignment. Further, you are quite completely within our control. You will do as you are told and you will accept what if any reward we offer."
"One question," Andy said. "What if we refuse."
"This."
With that the lights shut off. I don't know how long it was before we heard the voice again. We slept off and on. We were hungry and thirsty, but our bodily functions carried merrily along. I personally never need to smell the smell of my own rotting shit ever again. If I had been alone in the room, I would have probably lost it. But I had Andy. We talked about our situation and tried to come up with some sort of solution. The only conclusion we could reasonably come to was that we were fucked, at least for now and that playing along was the only option, aside from rotting in that room.
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